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family – Page 22 – Luv Saving Money

Here’s What We Thought of the Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail

We received complimentary tickets as part of the Pittsburgh Kids Guide. 

There are times that you try something out for the first time and it’s just not what you thought it would be. Then there are other times you try something new out and you wonder when you’ll be able to do it again.  Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail is one of those experiences.

Located in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall, Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail is a 32-foot tall, 2 level ropes course complete with 30 exciting elements including zig-zag beams, cargo nets, angled rope ladders, crisscross walks and more. Participants choose their own path through the elements and go at their own pace. The ropes course is also equipped with a Sky Rail zip line connection measuring 69′ long. Participants soar down the length of the ropes course on a self guided zipping experience and are able to enjoy it’s thrills over and over. For young adventurers, there’s a specially designed Sky Tykes ropes course for kids ages 2-7.

We went on Halloween, October 31. I really didn’t know what to expect. Would it be super busy? Will it be worth the drive from Johnstown? Will all the kids be able to get the same enjoyment out of it? Valid question considering my 4  kids range from 2 years to 13 years old. When we arrived we found it right next to the food court.  It was quite an impressive set up considering it was in a mall.

Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail header

It says it’s fun for ages 2-102. The staff gave us a friendly greeting.  They got all 4 of my kids lined up and fitted with the proper size harnesses.  They went over the safety rules with us. The boys were ready to jump into the big kids Sky Trail while my daughter was anxious to try out the Sky Tykes.

Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail getting ready

My 6 year old was right in the middle where he could have done the big kids Sky Trail or use the Sky Tykes area.  He jumped right into the Sky Trail.  All 3 of the boys started on the Sky Trail while I took my 2 year old daughter over to the Sky Tykes area.  She wanted to climb but she was a little bit nervous. It didn’t stop her though.  Most of the time she wanted mommy to hold her hand.

The nice part is the harnesses are fitted to each person.  They are hooked up to tethers that slide along the bars. They never detach except manually to go on the zip line but they had another staff member assisting people with that.  I’m a nervous Nelly but I had very little concerns with my kids climbing around over my head 12-18 feet in the air. Even if they would lose their footing, they weren’t going anywhere. There were plenty of staff there to help too.

My 6 year old ended up getting cold feet on the big kids trails so he came down and decided to try the Sky Tykes area.  After playing on that area for a bit he decided he was ready to go back on the grown up area.

Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail Sky Tykes

That practice on the Sky Tykes area must have been just what my 6 year old needed because he was almost keeping pace with his big brothers, 11 and 13 years old respectively.  Almost, my older boys had no fear what so ever.  I kinda wish I would have tried it myself.  But I had the opportunity to talk to the assistant manager and other staff and get some great pictures.  I can’t say enough about how friendly and helpful the staff were.  Everyone had a great time.

Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail big boys

This would be a great activity to jump in the car on a runny or cold winter day and get your kids active.  Break the boredom and try this place out. Seriously fun for the whole family.  Save your self some money too with a coupon from the Pittsburgh Kids Guide!  It’s $14 for those 48″ or taller and $7 for those under 48″ tall.

Be sure to stop by Pittsburgh Mills Sky Trail facebook page too tell them Luv Saving Money sent ya!

I’ll leave you with a clip of my 11 year old doing the zip line section of the Sky Trail:

What Are Your Favorite Fall Outdoor Activities? #YearRoundPlay

This post is sponsored by the Voice of Play.

Yes I’m one of those people that are a bit depressed when the kids go back to school and summer is “over”. I’m not a fan of shorter days and chilly weather.  I have this momentary dementia, thinking, well there goes my summer walks and the kids playing outside all the time. If it were up to me it would be about 78 degrees all year round and only rain at night. After I get over the initial “summer’s over depression” I start to realize, there is still so much fun to be had in the fall and that includes outdoor play.

We recently moved.  We’re exploring our new surroundings and I realized. “Man I think we’re spending more time outside than ever” There were gardens that were created by the previous owner.  Being that no one had lived in the house for about 2 months the gardens needed some cleaning up.  I got my gardening tools, and gardening gloves and set to work. My 2 year old daughter loves being outside anyway but she wanted to help me garden.  After seeing how much she enjoyed it, I got her her own little gardening set. Several days have been spend for 30 min-45 min just gardening.  She was so content to sit with her gardening set, dig in the dirt, and water things for me.

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Here in Pennsylvania, we’re lucky to be able to see such dramatic changes in each season. During fall, one of my favorite things is to see all the gorgeous fall colors in the trees and on the ground.  The golds, the reds, the oranges, and the browns. It’ so beautiful.  This is also one of my favorite times of year to walk some of the local nature trails.  As an added bonus, there’s a lot less bugs in the summer and the cooler air makes the walk less exhausting.

fall walk in backyard

It’s amazing what the kids can find to do if you let them use their imaginations too.  I was outside cleaning up a bit.  I had them outside with me.  They were playing the the play set for a while, then I caught this scene.  My two youngest entertaining themselves for at least 20 minutes with sticks, mud, and leaves.

fall play outside sticks and mud

Most if not all the playgrounds are still open too. In fact, one of our local playgrounds just did an upgrade and the kids are itching to try them out.  Fall in PA can be unpredictable. It could be 38 degrees for a high one day, 2 days later it could be 68 degrees. Those 68 degree days, we definitely make sure we take full of advantage of them.  It’s supposed to be 68 on Tuesday I believe so that’s the day we’ll plan on checking out the new playground upgrades.

For those chilly fall nights we sometimes build a small fire outside.  We’ll sit around, roast marshmallows, talk to the kids about their day.  They enjoy it. My oldest son is real outdoorsy.  He likes to help my husband build the fire.

There’s always fall chores too like raking leaves.  I know, not very exciting, but it can be fun.  Seriously, look at this, tell me this doesn’t look like fun!

fall 2010 collage

Don’t forget about heading out to your local school’s football games. Our school only charges a couple dollars to get in. You support your local school, the kids love seeing people in the stands cheering for them.  What could be better? My kids like to run around with other kids while we sit and watch the game too. So much better than sitting and watching tv.  This is from one of my oldest son’s junior high games.

football conemaugh township game 2015

I’m just starting to get used to fall and my kids are already wishing for the winter so they can go sled riding and make snowmen. But that’s another post!  For more ideas for year round play check out voiceofplay.org I encourage you to check it out.  If you have other fall play ideas comment here or tweet them to @Voice_of_play and @LuvSavingMoney with #YearRoundPlay

Talk Like a Pirate Day Activity Ideas for Kids

Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th! Want to celebrate in your homeschool or classroom? Check out these easy & creative ideas to get in the spirit!   Pirates - Educents Blog Pirate Treasure Hunt – This is a great activity for pirate fun at home over the weekend! Make your own map, hide pirate treasure, and watch your little ones follow directions to search for the Pirates’ Gold! Island Adventures Reading Program – Join Pete Pirate and his crew with instruction and practice in advanced phonics skills, sight words, vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension! 75 lessons teach fundamental reading skills for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Recommended ages 6 to 9. PiratePartyFoods_photo2 Treasure Map Pizza – Decorate your homemade pizza with olives, peppers, and a tiny red pepper for the pirate ship! Meet the McKaws – This is such a fun pirate-themed book for Kindergarteners! Captain Stan and Tiny McKaw are rough-and-tumble pirates. Whether it’s searching for treasure or battling on the high seas, this adventurous duo is up for anything. Pirates’ Treasure & Crafts

 

Pirate Math and Literacy Activities – The pirate literacy activities include wall words, syllable sort, picture bingo, and more! The pirate math activities include four math activities that would deb a great addition to any pirate-themed unit. Pirate Crafts and Treasure Chest – Make a pirate hat, homemade pirate hook, spyglass, treasure chest, gold coins and more! Pirate Craft Paper Plate Pirate Craft – Use household items to craft a happy pirate face! This is an easy activity for kids and parents to complete together at home. Exploding Treasure Chests Pirate Science – Dive into some pirate science with Exploding Treasure Chests!! It’s a great sensory experience as the solid, freezing cold chests turn to mush and expose treasures hidden within. Pirate Theme Classroom Mega Bundle – Want to set your classroom in a pirate theme? This package includes pirate-themed word wall cards, calendars, customizable name tags, classroom jobs poster, time telling posters set, and more!

Do you get into Talk Like a Pirate Day?  I’ll be honest, I haven’t personally but I know my kids schools do a little activity.

 

Conceive Plus Benefits

If you’re trying to have a baby, you may want to read a little bit about Conceive Plus fertility lubricant.

Conceive Plus fertility lubricant has been available in more than 60 countries since 2008 and is not available in the US. You can find info Conceive Plus website. In short though it’s a special lubricant for any couple trying to conceive a baby naturally. I know in doing my own reading in the past that not all lubricants are sperm friendly so you’re going to use a lubricant you need one like Conceive Plus that won’t hinder your chances. Conceive Plus has is isotonic and has a controlled ph that is safe for sperm, embryos, and the process of fertilization.

I’ve not personally used Conceive Plus but you can read real user reviews. They also created a video to give you more info about Conceive Plus. I do encourage you to read over the info on the product and watch the video to make sure it’s the right product for you.

When you’re ready you can find out where to buy Conceive Plus on their website.

You can find Sasmar, the makers of Conceive Plus on these social media sits:

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

If you have just started trying or have been trying for a while, Conceive Plus® fertility lubricant can help increase your chances of getting pregnant naturally! Now available from selected online retailers from just $14.99.

SASMAR Conceive Plus® sponsored this blog post. The opinions and text are all mine.

Slide The City is coming to Pittsburgh!!!

I will be given tickets to the event for media coverage as part of the US Family Guide blogger program.  Any opinions expressed are my own

Ok last year I saw a video for Slide The City that one of my friends shared.  They were asking “Where is this, this looks awesome?”  I think it the video was from somewhere like St. Louis or something. Not anywhere near us.  I thought, “How cool would that be to do? It would be awesome if it came to Johnstown.” Well it’s not coming to Johnstown (at least not yet) but it IS coming to Pittsburgh June 6, 2015!  My boys and I get to go too!  We are all so excited.  It looks like THE coolest experience.  Don’t take my word for it though, check out this video!

 

Does that not look like a ton of fun!? We can’t wait..did I say that already? Oops sorry.  Here’s some info from Slide The City

June 6, 2015
June 6, 2015

Summer time is approaching fast and we are bringing 1000 feet of slick vinyl to brighten your city streets. Slide the City is a family friendly slip-and-slide water party event. There will be live music, food, drinks, water, and of course the biggest slip and slide ever to hit Pittsburgh!

Come dressed to impress because it’s not every day you can strut through town with your hot bod, cool dance moves and slick slides. Did we mention 1000 feet? Yeah, that’s over 3 football fields.

Make sure to bring your water buckets, floaties, and water guns (non-realistic of course), to squirt, spray, splash, and get all attending soaked.
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Is there an age or height limit?
All who are over 46 inches tall and over 5 years old are invited to slide, but remember if you’re under 18 you’ll need to get a sign off from your legal guardians.

Are there group rates available?
If you have a group with 20 or more participants send us an email.

What do you do to address water conservation?
Water conservation is also a priority at our events. We strive to have zero environmental impact on the community. The Slide was designed to have zero water loss, and it treats and recycles the water safely and efficiently throughout the day. When permitted, we donate the water back to the community. Methods of disposal include local reclamation centers, parks, golf courses and other places dependent upon local regulations.

slide the city pittsburgh 2So wanna know  how to register to participate?

Slide the City Pittsburgh: Saturday June 6th, 2015
Location: South Park – Allegheny County
Registration Opens: April 22nd, 2015 10am Eastern Time
To Register: Go to http://www.slidethecity.com/events/pittsburgh/ (get the best rates with early bird registration)

slide the city pittsburgh 3

You can find Slide the City on the following social media site:

Instagram: @slidethecity

Facebook Pittsburgh event page: facebook.com/slidethecity or http://www.slidethecity.com/events/pittsburgh/

Twitter: @slidethecity

I will be there to review the event experience Slide The City with my boys and the US Family Guide!